Recovering from the quakes

On Aug 28, when a 5.1-magnitude earthquake hit Darakelzom National Park, blocking the local highway with fallen rocks, Sonam Dingdzog instantly rounded up the 160 workers and 248 tourists in the attraction.

The tourists were so anxious to get away that some proposed walking along to National Highway 214 to Shangri-La, 80 kilometers distant, according to Zhao Guobiao, director of the park's publicity department.

Sonam's first thought was safety. "The park is located in a long valley and I was afraid that rock slides would occur. So we loaded all the food and bedding onto trucks and moved to a small open area higher in the valley," he said.